Modric leaning towards retirement decision after 2026 World Cup

Modric leaning towards retirement decision after 2026 World Cup Friday’s reports claim that Luka Modric is increasingly likely to call it a day on his playing career at the end of the 2026 World Cup, despite having an option to extend his contract with Milan for another year. Reports claim Modric likely to retire after World Cup Modric will turn 41 in September, but showed that age is just a number during his first season in Serie A in 2025-26, cementing himself as a key player under Massimiliano Allegri, starting in 32 of the first 34 matches of the season before suffering a fractured cheekbone in May. MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 26: Luka Modric of AC Milan is assisted off by medical staff after going down injured during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner joined Milan on a free transfer at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, penning a one-year deal with an option to extend for a further 12 months. However, the chances of him staying on with Milan  with no Champions League football are slim, and the fact that the Rossoneri do not currently have a head coach, sporting director, technical director or CEO certainly does not help the matter either. Now, according to reports from AS in Spain, Modric is increasingly likely to announce his retirement from football after the 2026 World Cup. Previous reports have claimed that there will be an offer of a director role at his former club Real Madrid in the event that he does decide to retire this summer. CREMONA, ITALY – MARCH 01: Luka Modric of AC Milan in action during the Serie A match between US Cremonese and AC Milan at Stadio Giovanni Zini on March 01, 2026 in Cremona, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images) Modric has already hinted that his time with Milan might be coming to an end in a recent social media message that sounded like a potential farewell: “A season with beautiful moments and difficult moments, but at the end we have to face the harsh reality and admit that it didn’t end as we wanted,” Modric wrote on Instagram “I’d like to thank from the bottom of my heart all the Milan supporters for the love, respect and amazing support they’ve shown me during the whole season. Forza Milan.”